Mysterious Mood
by Fridoline
Summary: There are times when Shanks gets into a mysterious mood, when even his first mate Ben doesn't understand his captain anymore.


„He's in that one condition again...just tellin' ya." Yasopp warned the first mate, who was about to enter the captain's room, with a sympathetic smile and a pat on the shoulder.

Ben gave him an appreciating nod, thanking him for the information with just that and went into the chamber.

The room was in chaos, books were lying around everywhere rather than standing in their proper places on the shelves, several crumpled sheets of paper were tossed on the floor.

Shanks was lying on his couch at the back of the captain's chamber, his right arm over his face and looking as if he was asleep.

But as soon as he heard someone enter he propped himself up on his right side, supporting his head with his only arm.

The readhead's cheeks were glowing and that super big grin beaming over to him was proof enough for Ben that his captain must have had a bit too much alcohol again, if all the bottles of rum surrounding the couch were any indication to go by.

"Oooooh~, yo Ben-... " he got greeted and Shanks looked as if he wanted to say more, but sudden nausea got a hold of him and forced him to shorten his welcoming for a short moment, then he went on grinning like an idiot.

"...What were you doing again?", the first mate bowed down, randomly picking up a book in front of his feet, apparently about Vegapunk's studies of Devil Fruit powers, and put it on the always messy desk. Shanks just continued smiling at him, he never answered that question.

Once in a while the captain of the redhair pirates got in a mysterious mood, retreating back to his room, doing the devil knows what behind closed door. Whatever he did the chamber always ended up in total chaos and Shanks himself wasted each time by his over-the-limit consumption of alcohol.

Ben closed his eyes and heaved a silent sigh.

He made his way through the chaos towards the couch, carelessly kicking stuff out of his way, then he kneeled down in front of Shanks, who didn't move an inch, and scowled at him in his usual manner.

Holding his gaze for a while the redhead broke down their intense eye-contact to burst into a fit of laughter that seemed to reveberate through the whole ship.

Shanks hauled himself up in a sitting position, a bit wobbly, and wiped away the tears of laughing too hard.

There were moments when the captain came across as insane and at times it nearly drove the first mate crazy, too, times like this.

Heavy lidded eyes looked down at Ben and suddenly Shanks reached out to him, cupping his cheek with his hand, thumb softly brushing over the skin.

Caught by surprise Ben just stayed silent and stared into those glazy eyes that managed to look at him in such a clear, studying way.

He loved this man, has always loved him but at times like this, even after all those years, Shanks felt so far away.

He just couldn't figure out what bothered his captain during those moments, what he was thinking about and feeling and for some reason that hurt a bit.

Ben's eyes unconsciously wandered to Shanks' left shoulder, looking at the stump under the shirt, where his captain's left arm used to be all those years ago.

Often he thought that the only time Shanks had completely opened up to him was after that incident.

Ben reached for the left sleeve of his captain's shirt, slowly untying the knot it was usually in to prevent it from flapping around too much.

The hand that was cupping his cheek so softly fell back at Shanks' side and the everlasting grin plastered on the redhead's face faded into only a ghost of a smile, while he observed the actions of his first mate.

The sleeve untied, Ben raised the fabric to his lips and put a soft kiss on the shirt cuff.

When he looked up again Shanks' eyes were gentle and his smile completely faded away, lips parted slighty, turning his expression into something else.

"Ever the mysterious man, aren't ya?", Shanks whispered.

"And that's coming from you, captain?" came the first mate's reply after a grin spread across his face.

Shanks grabbed Ben's shirt and pulled him onto the couch and on top of himself with gentle force.

Bowing down Ben delved into the passionate kiss that marked only the beginning of many more kisses to come that night.


End file.
